Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



June l2, R923.

L. V. LEWIS RAILWAY TRAFFIC CGNTROLLING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 25, 1918 IN V EN TUR.'

MLW, ATTORNEY.

,e wie r @riginal application filed November 25, isi-3, Serial No. 263,969. Patent No. lgli?, elated niet? 1931i. 'Bifided and 'this application led March 2li, 1921. Serial lilo. {olii/ld, 5

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, LLorn V. Lewis, e citizen ot' the United States, residing; et Edgewood Borough, in the county of Alle gheny and State ot Pennsylvanie, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bailway-Traiiicontrolling Apparatus, of which the following is o, specification.

My invention relates to railway treiic con trolling apparatus, und has for an object tlie provision oi simple and reliable means for transmitting to a railway 'vehicle indications of trufiic conditions in advance Without mechzuiicnl orelectrice-l Contact between devices on the vehicle and devices in the trackmoy.

The present application is o division ot my copending application filed November 25, 1918, Serial No. 263969, Jfor railway traffic controlling apparatus, which a plicotion has matured into latent No. 1,3 Lili?,

Twill describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, end will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is o diagram:- 'motic View showing one torni o reilwey tro'liic controlling apparatus embodying; my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference characters H and lll designate the track rails of a railway, which rails are. divided into block sections AMB, l-C, etc., by insuloted joints 2. Each section is provided with :i track circuit comprising 'the t-Wo track rolls of the section, o 'track battery B, and trocii. relay designated by tbc reference charester lqi with en exponent corresponding to 'the location of the relay. These track relays are employed to control the indications trzinsniitted to sie vehicles traveling along railway, in o-,insnner @reine-liter ef:-

iiocoted in block section 'is :i ye lucie V rellwziy cor or trein) which 1s represented by two axles und two pairs ot' I Wheels. This vehicle is provided with apparatus which l will now describe.

Mounted on the vehicle is un. electron tube le: comprising a vacuum bulb 4f, containingl a loment 5, a plate 6, and e grid 7 between the filament and the plate. The filament 5 is constantly heated to incandescence by a battery 8 through o circuit which is obvious 'from the drawing. Between the grid? ond lilnincnt 5 in alternating difiere-nce of potentiel is maintained due sostolned oscillotions `in e circuit o which is tuned to vresomince :it o predetermined frequency, and the oscillations in this circuit o ere in torn maintained by u portion ci the energy ont-- put 'from tli'e plete circuit of the electron tube The grid circuit i passes from the secondary l2 of e transformer T3, through condenserll, wire 70, coil Q3 Wound on a core 24, and wire 69 to the secondary l2 of transformer il. The terminals of condenser 1l ore connected with the diemen-t und grid respectively of the electron tube K, :i biocli-4 ing `condenser 9 being included in the con nection os shown. A high resiste-nce or grid leak l0 Iis optionally connected multiple with the condenser in order prevent the accumulation oit on excessive negative charge on the grid "7. The plete circuit Afor tube l posses from battery 13 through wires lei and 71, Contact 72 oli :i relay R, Wire 73, primary of trensiorrnerTg, Wire 74, n'imziry 19 of transformer T3, Wire 2G, thence through tube l to battery '13. The tube lll ond :associated circuits, therefore, constitute a self-excited generator ol alternating current of :i 'frequency determined. by the constants oit circuit c.

The coil 23 in circuit a; is Wound on o core Qd. of niognetizoble materiel suoli es laminated soft iron. This core is til-shaped as shown, with its legs projecting downwardly, and time plane of the core is parallel to the track mils and li. llo-cated :it certe-in points in Athe trecltwey :ire oars of soi-t iron, preferably laminated, each of .which bers is rlso parallel with tlie track rails, and

is so positioned thrt it is directly under sind.

close to the es tlie lucie misses 4 'lli piste circ tube lil "will, oi comme, dem r pulenti; i ent ot 'frequency C? which depends on the constonts of circuit a, and so this frequency will be ot one velue when core 24 is not iniuenced by e bor lf), and a different yalue when the core is over o trackway bor, due to the change in the reluctunce oi' the magnetic circuit of core 24 when it is in proximity to bei D. The first of these values will hereinafter be termed 'the given freijguency.

lili' The letter b designates another circuit which is loosely coupled to the lam 'circuit of tube K by the transformer 2.: Circuit b is from the secondary f transformer T2 through Wire 7 5, condenser 46,*wires 62 and y 70, coil 44, and wire 68 to the secondary of transformer T2. The elements in this circuit are so proportioned that the circuit is resonant tol current of the given frequency, that is, the frequency delivered by tube K when circuit a is not influenced by a bar D. Circuit Z) constitutes the grid circuit for a second electron tube K', and to this 'end the terminals of condenser 46 are connected with the lament and grid respectively of such tube, a blocking condenser 47 being inserted in this connection as shown.

The plate circuit for tube relay R, this circuit being" from battery 13 through Wire 14, relay winding 66, relay Winding 64 and condenser 65 in multiple, wire v63, then through tube K and wire 62 to battery 13. Since relay R is o'l the well known induction motor type, it is not aifected by the continuous or steady component o he current in this circuit, but by reason of the condenser (35 connected across Winding 64 the alternating components of the currents in the relay windings are displaced in pha te produce a rotating field 'to cause the rotor to close contacts 50 and 72. Furthermore, when current of the given frequency is supplied to circuit by elec- .tron tube K, the amplitude of the current variations in relay R is sufficient to cause.

this relay to close, but when any other frequency is supplied to circuit due to the influence of a trackway bar D, upon the circuit a which controls the frequency de- I livered by electron tube K, the amplitude of they current vari-ations in relay R s materially reduced due tothe fact that circuit I) is not resonant to such frequency, and relay R will then open unless supplied with currentfrom another source as hereinafter ex lained.

clay R controls a brake application magnet M, the circuit being from battery 2T, through the winding of magnet M, and contact 50 of relay R to battery 27. The magnet M controls brakeI application appa ratus of any suitable torni. in such manner thatvan automatic application ot' the brakes occurs whenever this .magnet becomes deenergized.

The coil 44 in circuit?) is wound on a core 45 of magnetizable material such laminated soft iron. This core is U-shaped, wlth its legs projecting;r downwardly, and

is arranged transversely ywith respect to the track, as shown in the drawing. Located in the trackway adjacent each bar D is a conductor W, whichv isA at times supplied with alternatingcurrent by means herein- K controls after explained. When the vehiclecarried core 45 passes over a conductor W in which alternating current of the given frequency is flowing, part of the magnetic lines of force surrounding. `the conductor pass through the core 45 and so induce an alter* nating potential in the coil 44, whereupon sustained oscillations are produced in the resonant circuit 7). This produces an altermating; difference of potential across the grid and filament of electron tubeK of Sufficient intensity to cause relay R to close, regardless of the condition of circuit a.

Each block section is provided with one of the bars l), which bar is located at maximum braking distance in the rear of the' entrance ,end of the section. Adjacent to each ot the bars D is one of the conductors WV, this conductor preferably extending a short distance beyond each end of the adjacent bar D. flach conductor is supplied at times with alternating current of the given frequency. this supply being conv trolled by the track relay for the correspondingsection; i For example, the endsv oi the conductor W inthe rear of point B are connected with the terminals oi'i the secondary o1- atransf'ormer E, and the circuit for the primary of this transformer is irom the secondary ol transformer JB, throughcontact 52 of track relay FB, Wire 53. primary of transformer E, and wire 54 to the secondary of transformer JB. Conductor W in the rear of location C is similarly supplied with current from a trans-` former JC, this supply being,r controlled by track relay FC. The primary of each transformer J is connected with a transmission line L, which line is constantly supplied with alternating current from a suitable source, such as a generator (l.

The operation oi` the system is as follows: The section immediately in advance of location C being occupied by a vehicle V, track relay FC is (le-energized; but inasmuch as a block section B-C is unoccupied, relay F is energized so that the conductor VV' controlled by this relay is ysupplied withf alternating' current. `Vehicle V is assumed to have just entered block section AMB. llelay l on this vehicle is, of course, energiyled, and brake magnet M isv consequently energized. so that the vehicle is free to pro. cecd into block section A-B. When the vehicle reaches such a position that the core Q4 passes over the trackway bar D, the current supplied to relay R dueto oscillator K will be materially reduced, but this relay will remain energized due to conductor; WV. Vehicle V can, consequently, proceed into block section B-C Without interference on the part of theautomatic apparatus.

Inasmuch as track relay l?" is dc-cncrgized, the conductor' W in the rear of locafg rasate@ a transformer, a grid circuit for said electron tube including a condenser, a circuit al including said condenser and the secondary of said. transformer and said circuit 4a being tuned to resonance at a give frequency whereby current of said frequency is maintained in the plate circuit, a circuit b t-uned to resonance atv the same frequency as cir cuit 0 and arranged to be energized inductively from said plate circuit, vehicle governing means on the vehicle controlled by circuit b and. held in inactive condition when current of said given frequency is supplied tol circuitl b. devices located at intervals in the tracliway for changing the tuning of circuit n, so that current of a different fre,- quency is supplied to circuit and other devices located in the traclnvay adjacent said first-mentioned devices and controlled by traffic conditions in advance for supplying current of said 4first-mentioned frequency to circuit b.

7. Railway traffic controlling apparatus comprising a vehicle; an electron tube thereon having an incandescent filament, a platel and grid interposed between the two; a platc circuit for said elect-ron tube including a source of current and the primary of ay transformer, a grid. circuit -for electron tube including a condenser, a circuit a including said condenser and the secondary of said transformer and said circuit a being tuned to resonance' at a given frequency whereby current of said frequency is maintained in the plate circuit, a` circuit tuned to resonance at the same frequency as circuit. a and arranged to be energized inductivelyrom said plate circuit, a relay con.

trolled by said circuit b and arranged to be effectively energized only.wl1en current of said given frequency is supplied to circuit I), the plate circuit of said electron tube be inggontrolled by said relay' in such manner that the circuit is closed only when the relay is effectively energized, vehicle governingineans controlled by said relay and held in inactive condit-ionwhen the-relay is efe fect-ively energized, devices located at intervals in the trackway for changing the tuning of circuit a' so that current of a. different frequency is supplied to circuit Z), and other devices located in the trackway adjacent said first-mentioned devices and controlled by traffic conditions in advance for supplying current of said first-mentioned frequencyto circuit I).

8. Railway traffic controlling apparatus comprising a vehicle, a circuit thereontuned to resonance at a given frequency, means on the' vehicle for supplying current of said frequency to said circuit, an electron tube having a grid circuit controlled by said first circuit, vehicle governing means controlled by the plate 'circuit of said elec-tron tube and held in inactive condition wl Jn current of said given frequency is supplied to the first circuit, devices located at intervals in the traclrivay vfor temporarily changing the frequency of the current supplied to said first circuit, and other devices located in the trackway adjacent said firstfmentioned devices and controlled by traffic conditions in advance for supplying current of said given frequency to said first circuit.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

LLOYD V. LEWIS. 

